A North Carolina teenager is now a millionaire thanks to a $10 scratch card purchased by his sister.
Jalen McLean, 18, now plans to buy an Audi with his $1 million winnings after his sister, Dasha Silas, purchased the Jumbo Bucks ticket on his behalf on May 21.
‘He had a huge smile on his face. “So big she looked like the character from the movie Venom,” Silas told North Carolina Education Lottery officials.
According FOX 8, Silas bought the ticket from Valero in Fayetteville that same night and watched his brother scratch it.
McLean, the youngest of five children, turned his ticket in to North Carolina Education Lottery officials and collected some of his winnings on May 22.
Jalen McLean, 18, won $1 million after giving his sister, Dasha Silas, money to buy her a scratch ticket at Valero in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on May 21.
McLean collected some of his winnings at the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters with family members on May 22.
Although McLean asked his sister to buy him a scratch card, she was the one who decided to buy the Jumbo Bucks ticket at the Valero on South McPherson Church Road.
Jumbo Bucks tickets were first released on June 6, 2023, and their top prize is $1 million.
According to the North Carolina Education Lottery WebsiteThe rules of the game are to match the scratched numbers with the winning numbers.
Ticket buyers who land a 10X symbol will win 10 times the prize shown.
Jumbo Bucks ticket owners can have a chance to win between $10 and $1 million, and so far, only two of the grand prize tickets have yet to be purchased in North Carolina.
McLean told North Carolina Education Lottery officials that he feels like “the luckiest guy in the universe.”
“How many 18-year-olds earn something like that?” he added.
The new millionaire had the option of taking home $600,000 or receiving his prize as an annuity of $50,000 for 20 years.
The North Carolina Education Lottery news release confirmed that McLean had decided to elect the annual annuity.
This means the 18-year-old will receive $50,000 each year until his $1 million cash prize is paid in full.
Silas, who bought the ticket at Valero on South McPherson Church Road, decided to buy a Jumbo Bucks ticket for McLean.
Jumbo Bucks was first introduced in June 2023 and those who purchase tickets with the scratch card have the chance to win between $10 and $1 million.
Under the terms of the annuity, McLean will likely receive an annual check of $50,000 until he turns 38.
He still managed to leave the North Carolina Education Lottery headquarters on May 22 with the first payment, which after required state and federal tax withholdings, amounted to $35,753.
McLean has yet to reveal everything he plans to do with the million dollars, but so far he will use some of the cash prize to buy an Audi.
It comes after another 18-year-old from North Carolina won nearly $2 million during one of his first lottery experiences.
Donnie Leviner said the NC Education Lottery also received the proceeds from a scratch-off ticket, something he said he had a “gut feeling” he should buy.